


Quickly Reaching Maximum Capacity

by Denizen_of_Dreamland



Category: Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5
Genre: 6 Things, Angst, Coronavirus, Current Events, Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, No Spoilers, Pandemics, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:55:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23140552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Denizen_of_Dreamland/pseuds/Denizen_of_Dreamland
Summary: Yu hates being stuck in Tokyo, unable to go visit his friends. Ren would love being stuck in Tokyo, if only all of his friends weren’t in a self-imposed quarantine.Ryuji is worried sick about getting infected with Covid-19, while Yosuke is just trying not to run out of toilet paper at Junes.Meanwhile, on opposite sides of the planet, Ken is looking after Koromaru and Naoto is venting to Kanji about the dangers of panicking during a time like this.Snippets of how Yu, Yosuke, Ken, Ryuji, Naoto, and Ren deal with the coronavirus outbreak.
Relationships: Amada Ken & Koromaru, Dojima Ryotaro & Narukami Yu, Persona 5 Protagonist & Sakura Futaba & Sakura Sojiro, Shirogane Naoto & Tatsumi Kanji
Comments: 4
Kudos: 42





	Quickly Reaching Maximum Capacity

**Author's Note:**

> Guys, please don't drink alcohol to kill the coronavirus. That's fake news.

**I.**

Yu had to cancel his travel plans. He didn’t want to do it, of course, but it was for the best. Inaba was a small, tight-knit town where a disease like the Covid-19 would spread like the plague.

He wasn’t showing any symptoms, but Tokyo was a huge city with tons of people, many of which were already sick, so it wasn’t far-fetched to think that Yu could be unknowingly carrying the virus. There was no telling if he had touched a contaminated surface in the train or any other public place, or if he had met someone with the illness and hadn’t realized. He was in a constant state of doubt, wondering if he could be (or already was) guilty of spreading the disease.

He missed his family and friends more than anything, and he had been looking forward to finally seeing them again, but the last thing he wanted was to bring the coronavirus into town.

“Yu.” Dojima said sternly, from the other side of the phone. “There _is_ already coronavirus in Inaba.”

“What…?”

“Yeah. There’s no telling for sure, but they suspect there was an outbreak in the prison near the area. It’s not in Inaba per se, but it’s close enough. It’s only a matter of time until one of the prison guards… well.”

“Are you feeling alright?”

Dojima broke into laughter. “How old do you think I am? Even if I get the coronavirus, I’m confident this body can take it. You know, when you’ve been on the force for as long as I have, your body stays physically--” He coughed into the phone. It sounded harsh, dry, and kinda painful. “... Sorry.”

“You should drink something hot. Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face.” Yu spat out, grasping for something to say. “Drink alcohol. Take a hot shower. Stay warm. Stay at home.”

“Tch, I was just having a smoke. I might take you up on the alcohol, though, hahaha!” Dojima paused, presumably to blow a puff of his cigarette. “Don’t worry about us. This will all be over soon and then you’ll be able to come visit as much as you want. Well, I gotta go. Take care of yourself and don’t go around shaking random strangers' hands.”

“Please don’t joke about that.” Yu said, but then he noticed that Dojima had already hung up.

Yu sighed. He knew Dojima would put other people’s health before him in a heartbeat. He’d probably do as much as he could to ensure that everyone around him, like Nanako, the Investigation Team, and even Adachi were safe, while neglecting his own wellbeing. The irony was that, even if all of them got infected, Dojima would still be at a higher risk. Not because of his age, but mostly because he was a heavy smoker.

Yu wished he could be in Inaba right now to make sure that Dojima didn’t let his pride get the best of him.

* * *

**II.**

“Stop. Buying. Toilet paper!” Yosuke screamed, at the end of his patience. “Dammit, don’t you see we’re running out?!”

“You clearly have two packages in your hands!” An overly passionate customer yelled back at him, pointing at the two packages of toilet paper that were, indeed, in Yosuke’s hands, one in the left and the other in the right.

He was holding onto them like his life depended on it. If he even loosened his grip on them for a single second, he was sure that a raging predator would snatch them away from him with their sharp claws and piercing fangs and run off through the door without even _paying_. Just thinking about it gave him chills. Shit… He was living a nightmare.

“Give them to us!”

“Stop hoarding them, you jerk!”

“Yeah, don’t be greedy!”

Ugh… Couldn’t they see that Yosuke wasn’t being greedy? He was just trying to save toilet paper for everyone, since the whole goddamn town was so desperate to buy some. The speed at which they were running out of the product had no precedents in the history of this particular branch of Junes, and Yosuke was at a loss about what to do or how to act in a situation like this.

“Hold on, hear me out!” He said, lifting the packages in the air so people couldn’t reach them. “You don’t need so much toilet paper!”

“What would _you_ know?!” A woman hissed.

“What the hell am I supposed to wipe my ass with, then?!”

“Oh, come on!” Yosuke frowned. “You guys already bought toilet paper! Leave some for the people who actually need it!”

“ _We_ need it!”

“What we have isn’t enough!”

Yosuke was getting a headache. “You’re blowing the issue out of proportion! Sure, you need things like hand sanitizer--that’s important--but you don’t need to buy a gallon of it!”

“We’ll buy what we want!”

“Who’re you to say what we need and what we don’t?!”

“Yeah, are you a doctor or something?”

Yosuke was taken aback. “Well, no, but--”

“You know what?! Forget it! I give up!” The most vocal customer threw their arms up and turned on their heel. “I’m going back to the Shopping District!”

“No, no, no, please don’t leave!” He reached out to the customers as if he could grab them by their shirts and drag them back, but it was too late. “W-We’ll restock soon, I promise!”

Yosuke sighed and hung his head in defeat. This wouldn’t be happening if Yukiko hadn’t bought twenty packages of toilet paper that morning after hearing those rumors about toilet paper in Japan being completely imported from China... But, then again... Because of that, the whole country was running out of toilet paper, and Yukiko had an inn to run, so she had to make sure to restock and prepare for the future, so her own customers wouldn’t have to face a shortage of toilet paper during their stay.

...

Wait a second.

Nobody was travelling under _these_ shitty conditions…

So why did Yukiko…?

The inn didn’t actually _need_ so much toilet paper right now! No one did!

Yosuke groaned out loud. If only his partner were there to help him fend off angry customers, maybe this wouldn’t be so annoying…

“Yosuke.” His father walked up to him and motioned as if he was going to put his hand on Yosuke’s shoulder, but then he reconsidered and withdrew his hand. “Don’t yell at the customers.”

“B-But--! … Um… They were being way too pushy!”

“The customer is always right, no matter what. Let them buy what they want.” His father turned around and started walking back to where he had come from. “Let's go, Yosuke. Help me change the price tags on the toilet paper.”

* * *

**III.**

Koromaru whimpered and laid down on the floor.

Ken was quick to notice, as always. He couldn’t translate the dog’s expressions like Aigis once could, but he had picked up on many of his companion’s mannerisms over the years.

“What’s wrong, Koromaru? Are you feeling alright?”

He let out a tired whimper and glanced up at Ken with sad eyes.

“Let me take a look.”

Ken walked towards him and kneeled down in front of Koromaru. He crossed his legs and reached out with one hand, holding out his index finger. Seeing him come for the nose, Koromaru turned his head to one side.

“Huh?”

Ken reached out again. Koromaru turned his head to the other side.

“Please, Koromaru. Stay still.”

He reached out for a third time and Koromaru complied. Ken gently touched his nose and registered the familiar feeling. It was wet, soft, and slightly cold, just like it should be.

“Nope. You don’t have a fever.”

Ken breathed out in relief. Still, he could tell that something was going on with Koromaru. At least he wasn’t sick, but it had been a while since he’d seen him so dejected.

“Did something happen?”

Koromaru lifted his head, as if to say yes, and Ken wished he could read his mind to know exactly what that “something” was. Since there was no using in following that train of thought and trying to guess in Koromaru’s stead, Ken simply shifted in place and started petting the dog’s back, under the orange hoodie. His fur was soft and healthy. Stroking it soothed both Koromaru’s and Ken’s nerves, like it always did.

After a few moments of silence, Ken decided to strike up a conversation.

“You know. I’ve heard a lot about people who are abandoning their pets because they’re afraid that they can spread coronavirus.” Ken began petting Koromaru’s neck, under his collar, with the other hand. “But there’s no evidence that dogs and cats can get sick of Covid-19 or whatever it’s called. And there’s no proof that they can infect humans either.”

Koromaru listened to Ken attentively, softly prodding his hand with his snout to encourage him to keep petting. The boy smiled.

“If anything, I’m more likely to infect you than the other way around. So, just in case you hear something in the news, you don’t have to worry about me kicking you out. And, _if_ you were to get sick… I would never leave your side, Koromaru. We’re like a family.”

Koromaru made a happy noise and started wagging his tail, opening his mouth in what seemed as a dog’s version of a smile.

Ken chuckled. “Oh, Koromaru… After all the Shadows we’ve fought together, you thought I’d abandon you over something like this?”

Of course Ken would look after Koromaru if he got sick, not because it was his responsibility, but because he knew Koromaru would do the same for him. He might not be capable of talking, walking on two legs, or expressing his feelings like a person, but that didn’t make Koromaru’s friendship any less valid.

* * *

**IV.**

Ryuji sneezed. He covered his nose with his elbow, cleaned his face with his sleeve, and immediately typed into the former Phantom Thieves group chat.

 **Ryuji:** GUYS WHAT DOWS IT MEAN IF I SNEEZWE?!?!

He clutched his phone and desperately waited for an answer as he tapped his feet against the floor of his room.

 **Ren:** It means there are microbes in your nose and your body is trying to repel them.

Ryuji repressed a squeak.

 **Ryuji:** LIKW TJE CORONWVIRUS???

 **Futaba:** Ren! U know that’s not what Ryuji wants to know! (￣^￣)ゞ

 **Makoto:** Sneezing is not a symptom of coronavirus.

 **Yusuke:** It was likely a one-time occurence.

 **Makoto:** Or allergies.

 **Haru:** Try not to worry too much, Ryuji-kun. We all have to keep our cool in a situation like this.

It wasn’t the first, the second, or even the tenth time Ryuji was told to relax in the past two days. And understandably so, because he’d locked himself up in his house, he hadn’t gone out in about two weeks unless it was strictly necessary, and, no matter how much of a touchy-feely guy he normally was, he had rejected every single hug or touch from pretty much anyone ever since he’d heard about the deaths caused by the coronavirus.

His friends were very concerned about him, and they had been trying to console him because the extra stress was proving to be very bad for his health. He appreciated their attentiveness, but they didn’t understand half of what he was going through. What they couldn’t see was that he wasn’t worried about _himself_ , but about passing the virus on to his mother. She couldn’t get sick right now, she couldn’t afford it.

Ryuji would do anything to protect her. Even if it took moving away from home as soon as he got sick to avoid putting her at risk.

* * *

**V.**

Naoto got stuck overseas. She had been participating in an important investigation, but once it was over and she was getting ready to go back home, her return flight was cancelled.

With nothing to do, being so far away from her friends and her usual work, she had a lot of time to kill. And so, she spent more time than she’d like to admit consuming news about the coronavirus outbreak, the symptoms of Covid-19, and the… “cures” that people on social media were proposing. As a detective, she had no trouble searching for the right sources, sorting out the best data, and confirming the veracity of some dubious information, but it pained her to know how much lies were running amok on the Internet and how little she could do about it.

“... A staggering amount of people fails to realize that doing things like taking hot baths, drinking alcohol, eating garlic, ingesting silver, and fabricating their own hand sanitizer will not cure the illness. In fact, those could very unsafe.” Naoto said into the phone. “It’s unacceptable how many people have died due to the authorities’ or the media’s negligence, as opposed to the virus in and out of itself.”

“Those damned bastards!” Kanji’s voice replied. “Don’t they see they’re puttin’ people in danger?!”

Naoto sighed. “I do believe that many people who share this misinformation do it out of a place of concern. However, the large majority either forgets or undermines the importance of fact-checking their sources before sharing news.”

“So… Uh... They don’t know any better, so they just repeat the shit they hear online? Is that it?”

“I’m afraid it is. However, it is not the average person panicking who angers me. It is the frauds trying to scam those in a vulnerable state of mind, the news providing false information, and the businesses trying to profit off people’s fears. They all claim to be preaching the truth, and the general population places their trust in them, but they’re all lies. It’s despicable.”

“Those morons… Why the hell is it so freakin’ hard to find the truth nowadays?!”

Naoto sighed. “It is very easy to spread rumors both through social media and word of mouth. I am honestly quite worried about the people being taken advantage of during this situation.”

“Then… why don’tcha help ‘em?”

“... Huh? What do you mean?”

“You can tell what’s bullshit from what’s not, right? Well, just, y’know… tell ‘em. It’s that simple!”

“I’m not much of the social media type…”

“Well, yeah, maybe. But standin’ there and rantin’ ‘bout what’s goin’ on ain’t gettin’ ya nowhere!” Kanji paused. “You don’t got to be some kinda influencer. But you’re already famous, so people will listen to ya.”

“You’re right… People do tend to put their trust in those who have acquired fame, even when unrelated to the field.” Naoto tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Very well. It’s true that complaining won’t help anyone. I will start by advising the other members of the team to review their sources carefully, and then I will attempt to decrease the amount of misinformation on the Internet by spreading the word from reliable sources.”

“Yeah, you’ve got it! I’m gonna try and talk to people here in Inaba. The town’s going freakin’ nuts over this!”

Naoto and Kanji said goodbye and hung up. That talk was certainly refreshing and it made Naoto feel somewhat relieved.

In a time of widespread anxiety like this, she had to remain level-headed and stay focused on what was important, which was protecting people from the virus while avoiding mass hysteria. Though she was stuck in a foreign country, far away from the crisis in Japan and from everyone she knew, she wanted to make a difference. It would be difficult in the sea of lies that plagued the Internet, but she had to remind herself that, when it came to people’s health, a single grain of sand went a long way.

* * *

**VI.**

Ren had to cancel his travel plans. He had decided to stay in Tokyo for now instead of going back to his hometown like he’d originally planned. Which… would be great, if only his friends and confidants weren’t so unwilling to go out with him at the time.

Laying down on his futon, Ren scrolled through social media on his phone, while Morgana slept by his feet. Bored, and getting tired of the uncomfortable silence of the dark attic, Ren decided to text Ann.

 **Ren:** Hey. Wanna hang out today?

 **Ann:** Sorry, I can’t! Just got back from a modelling gig abroad, so I’m in quarantine just in case!

Ren sighed. He texted back to Ann telling her not to worry and decided to text Mishima next.

 **Mishima:** Sorry, Amamiya. Have you seen the news? Let’s hang out later…

Then Makoto.

 **Makoto:** Sorry, Ren-kun. My college decided to impart all classes through online courses, so I’m trying to get as much work done as possible at home.

Hifumi, maybe?

 **Hifumi:** I’m sorry, my mother won’t let me go out with friends until the coronavirus threat has died out.

What about one of the adults?

 **Takemi:** Sorry, my guinea pig. My hands are full with patients at the moment. I’m assuming you know why.

Running out of options, Ren finally texted Futaba. She practically lived next door, so it would be easier to go and talk to her than to anyone else. If she wasn’t available, no one was.

 **Futaba:** Sojiro says I need to stay at home amap… sorry (＞﹏＜)

Ren put a hand on the back of his neck and threw his head back. Dammit… Being locked up there in this old attic was making him feel suffocated. It was like he was back in solitary confinement, but without handcuffs and with comfortable furniture. Well, he was exaggerating. Prison was way worse than this, of course. But, regardless… He needed to move, to walk around, to see the sun, to talk to people, not to feel like he was trapped in his own room. Though he was still healthy, he was a prisoner of the outbreak nonetheless. It was… lonely.

His phone pinged.

 **Futaba:** Sojiro says come over!

Ren was confused at first, but he didn’t question the message and instead he got up from his futon, being careful not to startle Morgana. He wrote a quick note telling the cat to meet him over at Sojiro’s once he woke up, and then he left the cafe. There was no one on the streets. Ren arrived to Sojiro’s house, knocked on the door, and it opened right away as if they had been waiting for him.

“Ren!” Futaba jumped in place. “You came!”

“Hey.” Sojiro said. “Futaba was just telling me about how she missed seeing all her friends, so I’m glad you offered to babysit her for a while.”

“Hey! I don’t need to be babysat!” The now nineteen year old protested.

Ren looked at Futaba and then at Sojiro, suddenly a little disoriented. “You’re not worried about the coronavirus?”

“Of course I am. Everyone is.” Sojiro said in his usual gruff tone. “But that means that I’m not letting anyone here get sick under my watch. And that includes you too.”

“One of us! One of us! One of us!” Futaba chanted.

Ren didn’t say anything, but he fixed his glasses somewhat nervously, which Sojiro immediately caught onto.

“Listen. Your parents might not be paying me to take care of you anymore, but as long as you’re staying at Leblanc, your well-being is my responsibility. Now, why don’t you two go play games while I get lunch ready?”

“Yeah! Let’s go, Ren!” Futaba chirped, running towards her room.

Ren was about to follow, but he paused.

The leader of the Phantom Thieves had never been one to accept help from others. But, that day, he looked at Sojiro, let go of his pride, let a confident smile creep into his face, and decided that... it honestly felt good to have someone to watch his back. Even if he hadn’t asked him to.

**Author's Note:**

> I had what'll probably be my last day of school for an indefinite time yesterday. With coronavirus suddenly so close to where I am, inspiration struck, of course.
> 
> I don't condone all of the actions portrayed in this fic. Please, stay safe, wash your hands, reach out to the truth, take care of your mental and physical health, and remember not to panic!


End file.
